# Just started playing the card game again



## A Spark in the Night (May 3, 2011)

Wow, I haven't posted here in literally forever. Anywho, I don't know if this goes here but I just started playing the TCG again with a friend from school, and I was hoping I could get some opinions on my deck. Keep in mind all of these cards are from like almost 10 years ago and I had a hard time coming up with a deck.

Charmander x4
Charmeleon x3
Charizard x2
Growlithe x3
Arcanine x2
Pikachu x3
Raichu x2
Electabuzz x1
Fire Energy x5
Electric Energy x8
Energy Search
Professor Oak
Super Rod
Pokemon Breeder
Plus Power
Gust of Wind x2
Energy Retrieval x2
Recycle
Professor Elm's Training Method
Poke Ball x2
Bill x2
Energy Search
Energy Ark
Energy Removal
Life Herb
Energy Charge
Bill's Maintenance
Super Potion
Switch

Any comments welcomed!


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## I liek Squirtles (May 3, 2011)

Put some more Pokémon there. Put in a wee bit more Electric, maybe some Colorless. If Fire is your main force, put some more Fire Energy. Btw, your deck can decimate mine if it were a little better constructed.


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## A Spark in the Night (May 3, 2011)

I was thinking about maybe putting in another fire energy, but my two charizards both have the ability to make any energy a fire energy. If i can find anything decent I might add an electric type maybe.


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## I liek Squirtles (May 4, 2011)

Maybe get an Electrivire...? Thanks for explaining the situation about Charizard, btw. But you still need more energy.


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## A Spark in the Night (May 4, 2011)

Only using the original 151.


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## JackPK (May 5, 2011)

A Spark in the Night said:


> I was thinking about maybe putting in another fire energy, but my two charizards both have the ability to make any energy a fire energy. If i can find anything decent I might add an electric type maybe.


The best way to judge whether you have enough / too few / too many Energy cards is just to play; but I can tell you that 13 Energy cards is almost certainly too few, especially in a Fire deck. Almost all Fire Pokemon cards have attacks that discard energy, and being able to change foreign energy into Fire energy doesn't do jack squat good if you don't have any energy left to change.

I'm not familiar with many of your Trainer cards (I only know the ones programmed into the Pokemon TCG video game) but I would say cut some of them and maybe even a Pokemon or two, and try to get around 20 Energy.

If you decide to tinker with your Pokemon, I would say cut one copy of each member of one of the non-Charmander families* and add in a few Colorless Pokemon; if you have 'em, Rattata are absolute beasts in the early game (don't even bother with Raticate).

*(If you want to keep more Lightning Energy than Fire, cut a Growlithe and an Arcanine. If you put more Fire Energy in, cut a Pikachu and a Raichu. Remember that Charizard only changes foreign Energy into Fire Energy while it's attached to him, so if you haven't been able to evolve your Charmander/meleon yet you'll need more Fire Energy or fewer Fire Pokemon.)


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## A Spark in the Night (May 6, 2011)

Thanks for that! I swear this is one of the few places on the internet where you can get an actual response to a question. 

Basically here's the deal. I have five cards in my deck that potentially require me to discard energy. 

Charizard(1): I flip two coins and for each tails, discard 2 energy. 
Charizard(2): Discard 2 energy.
Arcanine:One fire energy to use flamethrower.

Lt. Surge's Electabuzz: First of all, it knows charge, which allows me to take two lightning energies from my discard pile and attach them. Then discharge reququires me to discard all energy, flip a coin for each one, and it does 30x the number of heads. 

Raichu: Discard all energy in order to use thunderbolt.

I also have 4 trainer cards (and Electabuzz) that allow me to regain 7-9 energies from my discard pile. I also have 5 more trainers that allow me to search my deck for a total of 4-6 more energies. 

With all this considered, I think i need a few more energies. But how many? Do you still think I need 20 even with those trainers?


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## Mendatt (May 6, 2011)

Ah, the memories those cards bring...
Anyways, with all of those I would personally add more than usual, maybe 25? Energies are important. If that's the charizard I think it is, than... Well, I haven't played in ages. So I can't remember. But I think there's something important there.


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## surskitty (May 6, 2011)

What sets are these from?


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## I liek Squirtles (May 6, 2011)

What do Super Rod and Gust of Wind do?


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## Mendatt (May 6, 2011)

Super rod is "Flip a coin. If heads, put an Evolution card from your discard pile, if any, into your hand. If tails, put a Basic Pokemon card from your discard pile, if any, into your hand.

By the way, do you have any Wally's Training? Those are useful, and I think that they're from some of the same sets those are in.


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## surskitty (May 6, 2011)

No, Wally's Training'd be after WotC stopped printing them, and those look like Neo Discovery at the latest.


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## A Spark in the Night (May 6, 2011)

Nah no Wallys. The charmanders, charmeleon, growlithe, arcanine and a few of the trainers are from the Fire Red deck. Everything else is pretty much from like, the original sets. Gust of Wind switches your opponents active Pokemon.


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